For the third consecutive year, one of Brazil's largest financial services companies, Bradesco Seguros (BS) granted on October 15 2013 in Sao Paulo two national awards for excellence – one in journalism and one for outstanding life stories of older persons.

The Bradesco Seguros Longevity Award Programme was conceived by the President of ILC-Brazil, Dr Alexandre Kalache, to draw attention to the social capital of an ageing society. Around 400 entries were assessed by the selection jury under Dr Kalache’s chairmanship.

The Longevity Award for Journalism highlights the importance of the media in shaping public opinion and in disseminating accurate knowledge on ageing-related matters. Prizes are awarded for material published in the previous year in two categories: print media (newspapers and magazines) and electronic media (television, radio and web). The Longevity Award for Life Histories is open to anyone 18 years and older who portrays the life story of an older person, depicting a positive image of aging.